CHOOSE PHILIPPINES: Falling in love (again) with Siargao Island

CHOOSE PHILIPPINES: Falling in love (again) with Siargao Island

I can’t think of another word or phrase that would best describe our recent trip to Siargao. It was my second time on the island and in both times, I undeniably fell in love with its laid-back surfer vibe – which is very inviting, thus some expats and local city folks alike chose to call the island, home.

Being a small island, you can see all the famous spots and explore all the secret ones in a short span of time, but one can never ever have enough of the island. Siargao will always make you want to return to do the same things and just savor every bit of the good life it offers.

Mama’s Grill is the place to be if you’re on a budget and wants to indulge on ihaw-ihaw food served with rice and your choice of non/alcoholic beverages.Sugba Lagoon is located in Del Carmen which is more or less an hour and a half away from General Luna by van and boat. To control the surge of visitors in the area, you are only allowed to stay in the area for a maximum of 4 hours, which we believe is more than enough.Core workout at Sugba Lagoon 😛View at Bravo Beach Resort

Sohoton Cove/Bay is a 2-hour boat ride away from Siargao Island, and therefore is not a part of the usual Siargao itinerary. But, if you have time to spare, I suggest squeezing this place into your plans. This was our group’s favorite part of the trip. (Don’t be fooled by the heavy downpour in this photo, a few minutes in after the rain stopped and we were already burnt to the core :D)Hagukan Cave is not for the faint of heart! Because the tide was high, we had to dive and swim deep enough to avoid the sharp rocks hitting our heads for 10 seconds to enter the cave. What awaits inside is so magical. We were completely in awe that we forgot to take pictures (that, and also because it was dark and we were a little panicky :P)Let me correct my statement above, Sohoton Cove is not for the faint of heart! For the second part of the tour, we entered Magkukuob Cave wherein we walked through waist-deep water, floated through the cave, admired the rock formations inside, climbed up a steep path and sharp rocks to reach the exit point and jumped at approx 15 feet high (according to our guide) into the water. Sarap!Save the best for last – Swimming with the stingless jellyfish! The experience was amazing and we had a hard time tearing ourselves away from these friendly little creatures.Golden hour at Naked Island. We were supposed to do island hopping after visiting Sohoton but because we left Sohoton late and the waves were rough on our way to Siargao, we decided to just visit Naked Island and continue with the other two islands the next day.

Magpupungko Rock Pools. It is best to visit this place early in the morning when the tides are low and the rock pools appear.A visit to Siargao will never be complete without surfing its famous waves. From super beginner to ultra pro, this island has got you covered 😉Guyam Island. Capping off our adventurous days chillaxing on this tiny haven.

Additional tips:

Accommodation rates in Siargao depends on where and which type of place you would find.

Meal prices range from 150-350 php per 1-2 person serving.

Island hopping and tour packages offers are abundant in the island. You can ask a hotel staff or a habal-habal driver and they will more or less cost the same.

As of our visit (May 2017), surfboard rentals cost around 400-600 php per day. Surf lessons are 500-600 per person per hour inclusive of a board and an instructor. GoPro mounts are also available for rent for 100 php.

Renting a motorcycle is the cheapest way to go around the island. However, be careful in driving as roads are narrow, mostly winding and can be really dark during nighttime.

Most of the beaches in Siargao are rocky so, aqua shoes or booties would be more appropriate to wear than flip flops.

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Click here if you want to watch our Siargao video. I apologize for the amateur editing and crappy quality of the clips. Stupid me accidentally deleted our clips of swimming with the jellies. I managed to recover them but they were already corrupted and couldn’t include them on the final edit. Huhu.